Phelix Creek update

Quick report

Weather

sunny, cold, foggy

Ride Type

sunnySlopes, alpineSlopes, mellowSlopes, denseTrees

Stayed Away

steepSlopes, convexSlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

powder

Our group of 3 went to the Phelix Creek area from Dec 26 to Dec 30th. In general, snow was very good but quite a bit shallower than other years particularly on the way up as you enter the forest. Many of the wind scoured slopes have thin coverage and you need to exercise caution when riding especially in the boulder fields. This may change with the next few days’ storm. We observed little evidence of avalanche activity or instability except from those arising from the sun on Dec 28th. Summary below: 1. On Dec 27th we had poor visibility and skied conservatively given the forecast for persistent slab. At around midday we dug two separate pits on a N aspect of the Frodo-Peregrine col (10U 0521917E 5607644N, elevation ~1900m) looking for the persistent slabs. Wind was calm, no sun all day, temps around -5C. HS was 165cm in the area, but the coverage was generally thin around the boulder fields. Snow is right side up with around 15 cm of fresh fist snow, and we identified the melt-freeze crust with granular facets on top at around 90cm but probably missed the other layer if it was there. ECT did not provide any results on either pit. We skied N low angle aspects that day. 2. Dec 28th was bluebird, with temperatures rising during the day and steep solar aspects getting baked. We set off for a loop around the Aragorn Glacier to check out if the usual large cornices on the Gandalf/Aragorn and North Aragorn peak ridge were there (they indeed were). Snow was light but got heavier as the day progressed on the sunny aspects, steep ones forming a thin crust. Of most significance was a cornice fracture due to warming (around 11AM) on the ridge N of Aragorn peak that fell on to the glacier, which did not trigger any avalanches on the persistent layers. There was evidence of other cornice fractures in the glacier area that did not seem to trigger anything deeper. We avoided overhead hazard and skied conservative terrain under 30 degrees. Coverage in the treed areas to the N and NW of the cabin was pretty good, with deep coastal powder. 3. Dec 29th was overcast with flat light all day. We skied over the Gandalf-Frodo col and on to the ridge W of Gandalf to check out conditions and coverage on the bowl W of Gandalf/Aragorn. We saw pinwheeling on steep S aspects, and some evidence of small point releases on NW faces of the Frodo/Gandalf col, both due to the previous day solar warming. Snow remained really nice on the N aspects. 4. Dec 30th was our exit day. It was snowing all day, but there was significant warming overnight and throughout the morning. We skied carefully to the cars, but the coverage was thin in the last 1.5 km of the logging road, and the snow was very moist, making for slow gliding.